I am writing the last page of this blog from my house, and although it is great to be back, I am a little sad to have left this fantastic tour, amazing country, and all of my new friends from far and near!
Our last day morning was a rainy morning in Tel Aviv. After a fairly late start, four of us decided to take a cab to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. It has some wonderful exhibits but we viewed mostly the contemporary and modern art, as well as some really odd photography and some Israeli art.
Moti, our new friend and taxi driver picked us up after about 2 hours and drove us to Jaffa to walk around. It was still raining on and off, and he was nice enough to stop the cab (literally in the middle of the street) so that I could run out to an ATM for some cash (because that is what the Israeli people are all about). He then drove us to his favorite spot for shawarma and falafel in Jaffa, and it was not disappointing.
We walked around Jaffa and got semi caught in another monsoon type downpour but we were lucky enough to be near a covered spot on the side walk. After a while it stopped raining, so we walked around and then back to our hotel along the beach.
Packed and showered, and waited for our 6PM farewell meeting to start at the hotel before dinner. The meeting was a great way to wrap up our trip, with Margaret (from Ireland) handing out beautiful bookmarks and a little prayer to carry in our wallets, and Emily reciting a humorous poem she had written about the trip. We had dinner at 7, a little time to freshen up, and then to the airport for our flight home.
Checking in for a flight out of Ben Gourion Airport is an experience, but we weathered customs, security and baggage check (probably not in that order, but I am sleepy) and boarded our Delta flight back to JFK. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and before I knew it, we were preparing for our decent into New York. A not so quick jaunt through passport control, baggage claim and recheck, and a bazaar trek looking for our gate, and we were on our way to Atlanta, where Kirk picked us up promptly and deposited us home!!
This was absolutely a trip of a life time and one I will never forget!!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Day 13
Awoke this morning to a beautiful rainbow outside my window over the Mediterranean Sea! What a great start to the day. I had to think fast to get my camera, because in seconds it was gone, but I got the image!!
The group had the option of a short bus tour through Tel Aviv, highlighting the important parts of the city, so I took it!! I think I have had enough shopping, and the rest of the group were talking about going to the Carmel Shuk (market) which we had already done when we came to Israel 2 weeks ago (wow!!), so I passed on that. The bus tour ended in Jaffa, where we walked through the newer section up to the older section past beautiful art galleries and shops.
I met Emily in the lobby when the bus dropped us off back at the hotel, and we decided to walk to try to find an Artist Fair called Nachalat Benyamin that was allegedly next to the Carmel Market, and low and behold, we found it!! What a treat, wacky artists plying their wares. The artist themselves were a work of art, I have never seen hairstyles quite like this. The market spilled into the same square as the Carmel market, so we decided to walk down Allenby towards the water and find some place for lunch.
The beach was very crowded, and the ocean waves were high, giving great conditions to surfers (yes! surfers) and this new phenomenon called kite surfing, which was on a board similar to a snow board, with a huge kite pulling you along.....it sounds easy but let me tell you, it was fantastic to watch some of the more expert surfers who were literally flying across the waves.
We ate lunch at a beach bar. Of course, we ordered way too much food, but it was great just sitting on the beach, closing our eyes, people watching and eating!! We walked back to the hotel where I promptly went back to my room and crashed!! All that fresh air took a toll and a nap was mandatory!
We were to meet in the lobby for a dinner that Wendy arranged at a restaurant "right next door" to the hotel. The hotel staff gave us directions and off we go. Suffice it to say, we never got to the restaurant! I have never seen rain torrentially pouring down, winds gusting and blowing out umbrellas, we were literally 'wandering Jews caught in the storm'. We cut our losses, went back to the hotel to dry off, ordered salads in the lobby of the hotel (some of which never came) and ate snacks that we had been carrying around for a week!
We were then poured into taxis to take us to Jaffa and the show Mayumana that Wendy had pre-arranged back in Atlanta. The show was fantastic, drums, dancing, lights, singing...it was great. Unfortunately, some of us were so tired, and the show didn't start until after 10PM, so we were nodding off. Fortunately, it was dark so no one seemed to notice!
Poured back into taxis to go back to the hotel, and good night!!
The group had the option of a short bus tour through Tel Aviv, highlighting the important parts of the city, so I took it!! I think I have had enough shopping, and the rest of the group were talking about going to the Carmel Shuk (market) which we had already done when we came to Israel 2 weeks ago (wow!!), so I passed on that. The bus tour ended in Jaffa, where we walked through the newer section up to the older section past beautiful art galleries and shops.
I met Emily in the lobby when the bus dropped us off back at the hotel, and we decided to walk to try to find an Artist Fair called Nachalat Benyamin that was allegedly next to the Carmel Market, and low and behold, we found it!! What a treat, wacky artists plying their wares. The artist themselves were a work of art, I have never seen hairstyles quite like this. The market spilled into the same square as the Carmel market, so we decided to walk down Allenby towards the water and find some place for lunch.
The beach was very crowded, and the ocean waves were high, giving great conditions to surfers (yes! surfers) and this new phenomenon called kite surfing, which was on a board similar to a snow board, with a huge kite pulling you along.....it sounds easy but let me tell you, it was fantastic to watch some of the more expert surfers who were literally flying across the waves.
We ate lunch at a beach bar. Of course, we ordered way too much food, but it was great just sitting on the beach, closing our eyes, people watching and eating!! We walked back to the hotel where I promptly went back to my room and crashed!! All that fresh air took a toll and a nap was mandatory!
We were to meet in the lobby for a dinner that Wendy arranged at a restaurant "right next door" to the hotel. The hotel staff gave us directions and off we go. Suffice it to say, we never got to the restaurant! I have never seen rain torrentially pouring down, winds gusting and blowing out umbrellas, we were literally 'wandering Jews caught in the storm'. We cut our losses, went back to the hotel to dry off, ordered salads in the lobby of the hotel (some of which never came) and ate snacks that we had been carrying around for a week!
We were then poured into taxis to take us to Jaffa and the show Mayumana that Wendy had pre-arranged back in Atlanta. The show was fantastic, drums, dancing, lights, singing...it was great. Unfortunately, some of us were so tired, and the show didn't start until after 10PM, so we were nodding off. Fortunately, it was dark so no one seemed to notice!
Poured back into taxis to go back to the hotel, and good night!!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Day 12 :(
Another early wake up and we reluctantly leave the beautiful Dan Carmel in Haifa. It was nice to live in paradise for one night, I have a feeling it will be back to reality in Tel Aviv!
We stopped shortly to see the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, a beautiful garden that goes from sea level up to near the top of Mount Carmel and best viewed from atop. I have been there before but it is a wonder to see. It is also a vast panoramic view of the city below, with it's German Colony of red roofed homes all in a row.
Our next stop was Ein Hod, which is an artist village also in the mountains and on the way to Tel Aviv. We visited a music box museum, which at first did not seem very exciting, but the collector of the music boxes was there to give us a lecture, well, more like a stand up comedy show. He is an approximately 80 year old man who did alyiah to Israel 20 years ago. He was a documentary film maker, and his passion is music boxes. He found a house for his collection and has been here happily since. It was magical, and this man reminded me so much of my late father in law, it was as if I was watching him!
We stopped for browsing and coffee in Ein Hod proper, a colony of artist who ply and live and sell their wares. Very pretty.
Our next stop was the Druze village called Sfia (sp). We were met by a Druze guide (secular, he looked like you and I) who took us for a short walk, passing by schools full of playing children, to a Druze home. We sat in the living room of the house and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Druze both world wide and in Israel, the culture, the religion, and the modern Druze. All the while, the woman who's house this is we are sitting here, is quietly preparing our lunch! And finally, 5 trays of unbelievable salads, kabobs, Druze pitas, and rice come out!! What a treat. It was one of the best meals I had here, everything fresh and spiced perfectly. Topped off with coffee, tea, and a cookie with a date in the middle, we thanked her and left for our walk back to the bus.
Now that our bellies were full, and we were very sleepy, we were off the the Carmel Winery in Zichron Ya'acov founded by the Rothschild family 120 years ago. Our Scottish/Irish? hostess gave us a tour and explained the wine making process, and we sampled a dessert wine, two red wines, and an ice wine, much more than I had anticipated, happily, I was not driving, so I didn't do the spit thing!
We drove to Cesaeria for the sunset on the beach by the aquaducts, and then past Netanya to our destination for the day, Tel Aviv. Our hotel, the Dan Panorama, is well situated, but not nearly as nice as the one in Haifa. Oh well, its a roof with a view of the sea! How bad could it be?!
Emily had her friend come by the hotel with some jewelry to sell, and as I got off the elevator I almost literally ran into Gadi!!! who was the tour guide we had 5 years ago when my family came on a tour with Kol Emeth!! It was fantastic to see him, he had absolutely no recollection of who I was, but was sweet none the less!
Dinner last night with some members of the group at a restaurant by the pier. The food was wonderful but the planes flew by very low, so it kept startling us!! Back to the hotel to prepare for our last full day in this beautiful country.
We stopped shortly to see the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, a beautiful garden that goes from sea level up to near the top of Mount Carmel and best viewed from atop. I have been there before but it is a wonder to see. It is also a vast panoramic view of the city below, with it's German Colony of red roofed homes all in a row.
Our next stop was Ein Hod, which is an artist village also in the mountains and on the way to Tel Aviv. We visited a music box museum, which at first did not seem very exciting, but the collector of the music boxes was there to give us a lecture, well, more like a stand up comedy show. He is an approximately 80 year old man who did alyiah to Israel 20 years ago. He was a documentary film maker, and his passion is music boxes. He found a house for his collection and has been here happily since. It was magical, and this man reminded me so much of my late father in law, it was as if I was watching him!
We stopped for browsing and coffee in Ein Hod proper, a colony of artist who ply and live and sell their wares. Very pretty.
Our next stop was the Druze village called Sfia (sp). We were met by a Druze guide (secular, he looked like you and I) who took us for a short walk, passing by schools full of playing children, to a Druze home. We sat in the living room of the house and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Druze both world wide and in Israel, the culture, the religion, and the modern Druze. All the while, the woman who's house this is we are sitting here, is quietly preparing our lunch! And finally, 5 trays of unbelievable salads, kabobs, Druze pitas, and rice come out!! What a treat. It was one of the best meals I had here, everything fresh and spiced perfectly. Topped off with coffee, tea, and a cookie with a date in the middle, we thanked her and left for our walk back to the bus.
Now that our bellies were full, and we were very sleepy, we were off the the Carmel Winery in Zichron Ya'acov founded by the Rothschild family 120 years ago. Our Scottish/Irish? hostess gave us a tour and explained the wine making process, and we sampled a dessert wine, two red wines, and an ice wine, much more than I had anticipated, happily, I was not driving, so I didn't do the spit thing!
We drove to Cesaeria for the sunset on the beach by the aquaducts, and then past Netanya to our destination for the day, Tel Aviv. Our hotel, the Dan Panorama, is well situated, but not nearly as nice as the one in Haifa. Oh well, its a roof with a view of the sea! How bad could it be?!
Emily had her friend come by the hotel with some jewelry to sell, and as I got off the elevator I almost literally ran into Gadi!!! who was the tour guide we had 5 years ago when my family came on a tour with Kol Emeth!! It was fantastic to see him, he had absolutely no recollection of who I was, but was sweet none the less!
Dinner last night with some members of the group at a restaurant by the pier. The food was wonderful but the planes flew by very low, so it kept startling us!! Back to the hotel to prepare for our last full day in this beautiful country.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Wednesday....Is this Day 10 or 11??
We got a late start today (on purpose) and our wake up call
was not until 8am!! Of course, all of us were really up early to see who won
the US election! Very moving to watch Obama’s acceptance speech in a hotel room
in the Sea of Galilee with fellow like-minded members of our trip!
We left the Ramot Resort in the hill of the Sea of Galilee
toward the Spice Farm in the fields of Beit Lehem Haglilit this morning to see
this great little business that was started by one family. It is now a huge
tourist attraction, where an adorable
young Israeli girl told us about the spices grown on the farm (in Hebrew
translated first by Wendy, then more humorously by Harrison!). A good amount of
time to shop, then back to the bus to head toward the north west corner of
Israel.
On the way, stopped to eat at a mall type establishment.
We then drove up the coast, past Haifa, to Rosh Hanikra.
There we took a cable car down to the sea level, and walked through grottos
that have been made by nature for hundreds of thousands of years. It is very beautiful. We watched a movie about the history of this
site. After, we took pictures at the border crossing between Israel and
Lebanon. One of the soldiers guarding behind the fence came out to take
pictures with us. It was a great treat!! He was adorable.
Took the cable car back up to the bus, and an hour plus ride
to Haifa, to our beautiful hotel The Dan Carmel. On the way, saw the lights of
the Bahia Garden. I couldn’t capture it
on film, hopefully someone with a good camera got the image.
So it is my turn to sleep alone (yippee) and I walk into
Room 918 and it is a suite!! A bonus
surprise!! It is a magnificent room. Wish I could stay here longer than one
night!! Of course, had to rub it into Jodi and Emily!! They are not amused?
Went out to dinner with 11 of the girls and I to this
fantastic restaurant called 24 Tanamal (probably not correct) and it was a
great meal! We all shared wine, appetizers and main course and all for 200
shekels with tip!! They sat us in the
middle of the restaurant at a huge table we were all able to sit around, and we
had an amazing time. Man these girls are awesome!!
Now we are back at the hotel, and I am relaxing in my
incredible room watching CNN. Phoned Ilana P to catch up. On to Tel Aviv
tomorrow!!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Day NINE and Day TEN: Israel North and Golan Heights
Sorry, have to cut and paste because we don’t have Wi-Fi in
the rooms of this hotel! I guess we were spoiled in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Today was another early day, on the bus fed and packed by
730! We drove through the desert east
toward the Dead Sea and then through the West Bank, which is Palestine territory for our drive to
The Galilee (north).
Our first stop was up a winding mountain road to a monastery
built right into the wall of the desert mountain. The monastery is Greek run,
Saint George Monastery. It is a wonder to see, and the surrounding desert is
stunning! There were “sales people” there who wanted to sell us all forms of
junk, from jewelry to head wraps. I chose jewelry (kind of, a rope bracelet).
Back on the bus through the West Bank, stopped outside of
Jericho for a bathroom break and had some wonderful pomegranate juice and
carried on to Beit Shein. When we crossed over from the West Bank to Israel
proper, we had to go through a check point, where two female and one male
soldier with Uzis and bullet proof vests came on the bus to inspect. We were
told to not take pictures.
I have been to Beit
Shein before, but it is a very interesting archaeological sight. Columns, baths,
amphitheaters, and public toilets (for the men only, Wendy demonstrated). Everything remarkably preserved! After our
tour around the site, we had a lunch of either Chicken Schnitzel or Falafel.
We took a train to where the bus was after lunch, and
boarded the bus to our next stop, also on the top of a mountain. Our stop was
another ruin dig, but also a beautiful view of the desert, and a lovely
sculpture garden. It is called Kokhav Hayarden, where we took many pictures.
Still heading north, we drove along the Jordan border and
decided as a bus that we would like to go to the area of the river where people
get baptized. That was also fascinating, so many Christians getting dunked. It
was a nice touch because of the fact that some of our group members are not
Jewish, and some of them actually got into the river. It was lovely!
We ended up across from Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee to
board a wooden boat cruise. The staff hoisted an American, French and Irish
flag with the corresponding anthems. We cruised across the sea to Tiberius,
taking photos, admiring the scenery, and dancing the hora….magical night.
We arrived at our new hotel, The Ramot Resort Hotel, a beautiful hotel on a mountain
(of course). We were welcomed by wine and cookies, sat on the outside terrace
and just chilled. Didn’t even shower before dinner, even though we really
needed to! Emily and I are roommates now, Jodi is getting her own room for a
couple of nights!
Day 10:
Jodi's birthday, Election Day, and another great day in Israel. On the bus early (for a change) and first stop, a Jeep Tour of the Golan Heights. We drove through the area of Syria that was taken over in 1967. Believe or not, there are still signs in Hebrew, English and Arabic warning people to beware of the mines leftover from when the land was Syria. Thankfully for us (and partly because of some stupid cows) there were no mines on our route. At the top of the mount was an abandoned bunker, a spectacular view of the valley, a history lesson and finally some brewed tea that was really tasty.
Our next stop was for coffee at the Mount Bental Bunker, a sight where you can see a wonderful view of Lebenon, Syria and the Golan Heights. Also the home of some really unique sculptures by an Israeli sculptor. The coffee was pretty good too!!
We pile back on the bus for a scenic ride to Banyas National Park and the Cesaeria Philipe. We were given a quick explanation of the area, took a few pictures, and then loitered around the gift shop waiting for the bus to come back. Some of the group (most of the group) were anxious to stimulate the Israeli economy at Sfad! So that we did!!
Sfad is a Kabbalic mystical community, and the shops are fabulous, as it is also an artist colony. I was one of the few who took precious moments in the shopping schedule to visit the synagogue there. Then I took precious time to EAT, and had this delicious (recommended) Israeli pizza with eggplant, mushroom, zucchini and red pepper with these amazing Israeli spices and a little cheese on a flat sesame pizza made in a wood burning oven (oh my!!). Sorry I spent so many words on this one food item, but it was THAT GOOD!
Every one came back on the bus with all their wares, I had Shabbat candles made in the candle factory and 6 bracelets. Note: the candle factory was very interesting. First, it smelled like a candle. Second, there were candle sculptures that were under glass and were amazing in their detail etc. Third, there were thousands of hand made candles from tapirs, to shabbat, to chanukkah and beyond. Great store.
We came back to the hotel and the sunset over the Sea of Galilee took one's breath away. The rest of the day is devoted to relaxation, wine, dinner, shower, packing and bed, necessarily in that order!! Tomorrow, the road to Haifa!!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Day 9, and I am tired so this will be quick!!
Great day, but I am exhausted and might defer to tomorrow night :) Sorry fans!!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Day Eight: Farewell Jerusalem!!
Our final day in Jerusalem, we are so sad to be leaving this hotel, mostly because we have to pack!!
Day eight began fairly early, with a 7am departure to the Old City. In order to see the Dome of the Rock, you have to wait in line for security, and the later you arrive, the longer you wait. Not sure why the security to enter this site is so much more intense than others, but it is. Finally after 45 minutes in line, we walked into the Dome of the Rock complex in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City which sits on the Temple Mount. The mosque itself is beautiful, and it was fascinating to see the people that congregate here. Women were in little study groups of Koran, men in their own private study sessions. And children, lots of children. Spent a while there talking and then proceeded to walk through the Arab section to the Wailing Wall. Everything is so close together, you wouldn't know how much animosity there is in this country (except there are soldiers and security everywhere).
After the wall visit, we went on the Western Wall Heritage Tour, which is a tour of the west wall tunnel underneath the Arab Quarter, the rest of the wall that has been buried underground and excavated and restored. There are actually places that women pray (men too, but we had to go in the women's entrance) that is nearer to the holiest of holy places, the site where Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is also where the Muslim faith believes is their holiest of spots, hence the Dome of the Rock.
We ate lunch in the Armenian section (I think, we covered a lot) but it was definitely Arab-esque, in an outdoor cafe where our lunch choices were A. Chicken Shwarma B. Falafel or C. Pizza. I had the Falafel, some delicious fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, and a Cappuccino! It was good!!! The restaurant is actually in a church courtyard, and is stop 3 and 4 of Jesus' trek to his final resting place (you KNOW that is not what it's called!) We saw religious groups follow the route, one group was actually bearing a cross!!
The underground tour actually spits out in the Armenian/Coptic/Greek Orthodox/Ethiopian, too many to mention section. We walked through 2 Ethiopian churches to get the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where some kind of sword split some kind of rock, then downstairs to where the body of Jesus was washed and prepared for burial. At this spot, believers were piling little items to be blessed (we suppose). It was fascinating to watch, they had rags that they were symbolically cleaning the blood off of this platform. The actual spot where Jesus is purported to be buried was a little too crowded for my liking, so I ducked out of the church and sat in the courtyard until everyone was ready for the next stop!
We walked some more and ended up in the Arab market (for Jodi and I, we were back in the Arab market, and oddly enough, the merchandise hadn't changed!).
We then walked to the Jewish quarter, and the difference is palatable......it is cleaner, feels newer and just more taken care of than the rest of the Old City. We were given a little history, and then set free to shop in the Cardo (the Jewish market where no haggling occurs!)
It was a long day in the Old City, and Wendy said she had a surprise for us.
We hadn't been on the bus for the whole day, but we piled on happy but tired. We were told that Wendy has wanted to take a group to this "special place", that Kfir (our driver who I call Phil because I am certain that is what he told me on our first day) had confirmed that we can go. It was totally worth it.
We drive up this very scary road outside the city, to a monument erected for the 911 fallen, and we were informed that it is the ONLY monument erected outside of the US. It is a beautiful structure, resembling and American flag, with a piece of the debris from Ground Zero displayed in the base, and on a wall surrounding the structure is plaques with ALL the names of those who perished on 911! Very moving. A JNF group came in behind, and they came to say Kadish, so we all said Kadish together. It was an amazing experience. (on an aside, we caught two old men peeing at the entrance of the memorial, and they weren't even trying to hide what they were doing! It was disgusting, and disrespectful)
We came back to the hotel through the Orthodox section of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim and the streets were teaming with colorful people wearing black hats, long coats, pius: the real deal!!
Jodi and I packed (going to miss this place!) and went downstairs for a glass of wine and dinner. After dinner, a shower, a blog, and good night!!
Day eight began fairly early, with a 7am departure to the Old City. In order to see the Dome of the Rock, you have to wait in line for security, and the later you arrive, the longer you wait. Not sure why the security to enter this site is so much more intense than others, but it is. Finally after 45 minutes in line, we walked into the Dome of the Rock complex in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City which sits on the Temple Mount. The mosque itself is beautiful, and it was fascinating to see the people that congregate here. Women were in little study groups of Koran, men in their own private study sessions. And children, lots of children. Spent a while there talking and then proceeded to walk through the Arab section to the Wailing Wall. Everything is so close together, you wouldn't know how much animosity there is in this country (except there are soldiers and security everywhere).
After the wall visit, we went on the Western Wall Heritage Tour, which is a tour of the west wall tunnel underneath the Arab Quarter, the rest of the wall that has been buried underground and excavated and restored. There are actually places that women pray (men too, but we had to go in the women's entrance) that is nearer to the holiest of holy places, the site where Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is also where the Muslim faith believes is their holiest of spots, hence the Dome of the Rock.
We ate lunch in the Armenian section (I think, we covered a lot) but it was definitely Arab-esque, in an outdoor cafe where our lunch choices were A. Chicken Shwarma B. Falafel or C. Pizza. I had the Falafel, some delicious fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, and a Cappuccino! It was good!!! The restaurant is actually in a church courtyard, and is stop 3 and 4 of Jesus' trek to his final resting place (you KNOW that is not what it's called!) We saw religious groups follow the route, one group was actually bearing a cross!!
The underground tour actually spits out in the Armenian/Coptic/Greek Orthodox/Ethiopian, too many to mention section. We walked through 2 Ethiopian churches to get the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where some kind of sword split some kind of rock, then downstairs to where the body of Jesus was washed and prepared for burial. At this spot, believers were piling little items to be blessed (we suppose). It was fascinating to watch, they had rags that they were symbolically cleaning the blood off of this platform. The actual spot where Jesus is purported to be buried was a little too crowded for my liking, so I ducked out of the church and sat in the courtyard until everyone was ready for the next stop!
We walked some more and ended up in the Arab market (for Jodi and I, we were back in the Arab market, and oddly enough, the merchandise hadn't changed!).
We then walked to the Jewish quarter, and the difference is palatable......it is cleaner, feels newer and just more taken care of than the rest of the Old City. We were given a little history, and then set free to shop in the Cardo (the Jewish market where no haggling occurs!)
It was a long day in the Old City, and Wendy said she had a surprise for us.
We hadn't been on the bus for the whole day, but we piled on happy but tired. We were told that Wendy has wanted to take a group to this "special place", that Kfir (our driver who I call Phil because I am certain that is what he told me on our first day) had confirmed that we can go. It was totally worth it.
We drive up this very scary road outside the city, to a monument erected for the 911 fallen, and we were informed that it is the ONLY monument erected outside of the US. It is a beautiful structure, resembling and American flag, with a piece of the debris from Ground Zero displayed in the base, and on a wall surrounding the structure is plaques with ALL the names of those who perished on 911! Very moving. A JNF group came in behind, and they came to say Kadish, so we all said Kadish together. It was an amazing experience. (on an aside, we caught two old men peeing at the entrance of the memorial, and they weren't even trying to hide what they were doing! It was disgusting, and disrespectful)
We came back to the hotel through the Orthodox section of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim and the streets were teaming with colorful people wearing black hats, long coats, pius: the real deal!!
Jodi and I packed (going to miss this place!) and went downstairs for a glass of wine and dinner. After dinner, a shower, a blog, and good night!!
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